


love & a cough cannot be concealed

by purugly



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Guardians, F/F, background Lux/Jinx i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 13:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13976505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purugly/pseuds/purugly
Summary: even a small cough, even a small love.(syndra in the rift)





	love & a cough cannot be concealed

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [it'll be okay, it'll be okay](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12245616) by [Naolin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naolin/pseuds/Naolin). 



> this was inspired partly by another work but it isn't based off of it

The rift calls out to her tonight. Part of Syndra wants to stop, wants to go back and act like she’s not tempted, but she finds herself moving towards it.

“Syndra! What are you doing?” Miss Fortune calls out.

She doesn’t stop. Why should she? To act like her team would miss her is only kidding herself.

She is not needed, she is not even wanted. She is certainly not cared for by her teammates.

What’s the point of binding herself to these people, giving her life for them, when they wouldn’t do the same in a hundred years? If her destiny really is her own, then she’s not going to stand this.

Syndra tumbles back-first into the rift.

 

 

She’s expecting to either die or be sent to some other world.

Instead, she’s falling through a void in complete darkness. She absolutely does not expect that it will whisper her a question.

_Warm or cold?_

Her immediate thought is _cold_ , and to her surprise, chilly air fills the void.

She catches onto the gimmick immediately. The void is giving her an _infinite_ amount of choice. She’s the one who has power here, out of the First Star’s reach.

She answers its choices – _keep falling or hit the bottom (keep falling), mild light or complete darkness (complete darkness), what should be done with Multi (they stay with me_ after all, they’ve been my only faithful companions _)_ _–_ and asks a request – _speed my fall_. It obliges; she keeps falling, but she’s aware of a pick-up in pace, and a sound like a rush of air. The windy sound reminds her of Janna, and she feels a pang in her chest. Her little chats with Janna, her _how are you_ ’s and _are you feeling alright_ ’s and _are you okay_ ’s might be the only thing she’ll miss, besides Janna herself.

She feels bad about leaving her behind. She hopes she’ll be okay.

She closes her eye and hugs Multi to her.

 

 

Back in the tangible world, Ahri is having a major freak-out.

“This is a disaster! Did any of you even _try_ to stop her? Do we even know where she is?” She’s pacing back and forth.

“I asked her what she was doing. She didn’t even stop, I don’t even know if she heard me.”

Ahri lets out an aggravated-sounding sigh.

“To be fair,” Soraka interjects timidly, “she was not so close to any of us that we physically could have stopped her.”

Lux’s face lights up, like she’s realized something. “I think you’re onto something, ‘Raka. About why she did it.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Well, nobody knows what’s inside of a rift – except I guess Syndra does, if she’s even still alive. But there’s no way she’d be able to know if she’d die in there or not. And think about it. She wasn’t really close with anyone here, at least not that I know of. Maybe she thought nobody cared and she just couldn’t take it anymore,” Lux explains.

Janna looks miserable. “I think you’re right, Lux. I got to talking to her, I thought we were friends. She said she felt like no one trusted her. Wondered a lot what the inside of a rift was like. I thought I talked her out of it, but I guess I didn’t. This is my fault.”

“No, it’s not. I didn’t know her as well as you did, but I know she was strong-willed. You couldn’t have stopped her by yourself,” Lux says.

Ahri stops pacing for a moment. “Alright, Lux. What do we do now?”

Lux blinks. “Me?”

“Is there another Lux in this room?”

“Let’s move to the living room, firstly,” Lux suggests. “There’s more room there. Why are we in your room, anyways?”

“It felt right. Let’s go.”

 

When they get to the living room, Lux pushes the coffee table out of the way, with help from Poppy. Ahri opens her mouth to object to her things being moved around, but Miss Fortune elbows her and gives her a _you put her in charge_ look, and she closes her mouth.

“Let’s sit in a circle,” Lux says, sitting cross-legged in front of the couch. “Jinx, stop sleeping. This is important. You might even get to do something.”

The redhead, who was leaning into her lap, jerks her head up. “Whatever you say, Flashlight,” she yawns. Her head is back in Lux’s lap within forty-five seconds.

“Jinx! Wake up!”

“Fuck off. I’m cozy.”

“I’ll buy you ice cream later if you stay awake for the whole rest of the meeting.”

Miss Fortune sighs. “Can you two stop being gay for a hot minute so we can get on with this?”

“Deal, Lux. Eat my ass, MF,” Jinx says, sitting back up and stretching her arms.

“When and where?”

“That’s enough,” Ahri interjects. “Go on, Lux.”

Lux shakes her head and sighs deeply. “I’ve got a plan, but we’ll have to wait until another rift opens up to make it work.”

Ahri nods. “What’s your plan?”

“So, we wait for another rift to open up. When it does, Jinx, Miss Fortune, Poppy, and Ezreal keep the. . . whatever thing decides to come out of the void. . . at bay. Janna and Lulu are on shielding duty, and if anyone does get hurt, Soraka can help. Instead of closing the rift, Ahri, you’ll use your magic to keep it open, and keep a tether on me. I’ll go into the rift and find Syndra.”

“Interesting,” Ahri says. “Why you, though?”

“I’m the most expendable,” Lux explains. “If I’m lost, there’s no void that can’t be replaced on the team. Janna can lead if I fall.”

Jinx, who seems to have been struggling to stay awake up until this point, jerks her head up. “No way. You’re our glue. We’ll fall apart without you.”

Lulu nods sagely. “The First Star chose you over Janna for a reason.”

Lux looks puzzled. “Then who should go?”

Janna’s expression is unreadable, but she raises her hand. “I will.”

“No,” Lux says. “We need you here.”

Janna closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Lulu can shield plus more, and you can tether me while Ahri focuses on keeping the rift open. I’ve got experience and Syndra’s trust. And,” she adds, “someone has to go.”

“Janna. . .”

“I’m set in my mind. You won’t be able to dissuade me.”

“I agree that Janna is best-suited for this,” Ahri says. “It’ll all be Gucci.”

“She’ll be okay, Flashlight. She’s not stupid,” Jinx adds.

“Alright,” Lux concedes. She still looks worried. “What about the rest of the plan?”

“I can see it working out, as long as we don’t lose our tether to Janna.” Ahri stresses the last part.

“It will work,” Lulu predicts, closing her eyes. “Everything will be okay.”

 

It takes two weeks for a rift to open.

“Ready, girls and Ezreal?” Lux asks.

Everyone nods.

When they get to the field, Lux conjures a magical cord-like structure out of light from her wand. It ties itself around Janna’s waist.

“Are you sure about this? You can still back out,” Lux says.

Janna shakes her head. “I’m not backing out.” She turns to Ahri. “Are you ready?”

Ahri nods. “Get in there, girl.”

Janna takes one last look at the field. Jinx and Miss Fortune look like they’re having a blast fighting together. Soraka is tending to a wound on Ezreal’s arm, while Lulu is shielding them. Poppy has her own shield up. “Ready, Lux?”

“We’re all ready. Go get her, Janna.”

Janna jumps headfirst into the rift.

 

 

 

The first thing she notices is that the only light is Lux’s magical tether. It’s completely dark, and the only noise is Zephyr chirping. It’s also very cold.

She’s surprised when it asks, _Do you prefer it to be warm or cold?_

“Warm,” she says out loud. Her voice leaves no echo. She’s surprised to feel warmth on her skin when she answers the question.

“Is Syndra here?”, she asks.

_She’s alive._

“Take me to her.”

Janna feels a jarring increase in speed. Her tether doesn’t break, but she almost loses Zephyr. She hugs it close to her. Her eyes are watering against the air current, which is something that’s never happened to her before, even against the strongest winds.

She isn’t sure how much time passes in the void or how far down she goes. Lux’s tether never breaks, only gets longer and longer. She’s sure that when she finds Syndra, the dim pink light provided by it will allow her to see her.

The further down she gets, the more she’s aware of a _presence_ within the void. It feels dark and cold at first, but as she gets closer to it, it feels softer and warmer. _That must be Syndra._

In the small amount of light provided by the tether, she can see the tip of a white high heel. Her heart jumps for joy in her chest. “Syndra!”

She can see her almost clearly now, and oh, it’s definitely Syndra, but she isn’t responding. Her eye is closed and she’s holding her Multi to her chest.

“Slow me to her speed,” she asks. The void obliges. Janna lets go of Zephyr to scoop up Syndra’s unconscious form. “Bring me back to the surface.” _Hold tight, Syndra, we’re almost home._

Compared to her descent, coming back is agonizingly slow. It’s impossible to gauge how much time is passing while she’s in the void, but when she can finally see the light of the surface, it’s darker than when she came in.

She tumbles ungracefully out of the void and onto the surface. It couldn’t have been later than noon when the rift opened up, but now the sky is painted cotton candy, pink and purple and orange.

Ahri looks like she hasn’t slept in a week, and her forehead is beaded with sweat. “Can I. . . stop. . . now?” she breathes out.

Janna nods.

The rift closes, and Ahri falls flat on her back, panting hard.

“You did it!” Lux exclaims. She’s sweating, too, but not as hard as Ahri.

“What time is it?”, Janna asks.

Lux checks her phone. “You were in the void for about. . . not quite eight hours? It’s 7:31 right now and you went in at around noon.”

Janna sighs. “Let’s get out of here and back to Ahri’s house.”

“Can’t. . . move. . . Lux. . . I. . . hate you. . . so much. . .”

“I got you, buddy,” Miss Fortune says, scooping her up effortlessly.

In the fading sunlight, Janna can see Syndra much more clearly now. Her skin is paler than Janna’s ever seen it by a long shot. Her head is lolled back limply. She checks her pulse; it’s weak and quick, as is her breathing. “Soraka,” she calls, “what do you think?”

Soraka examines Syndra quickly. “She’s very cold, and she’s not looking good, but it’s nothing I can’t fix, along with some proper sleep.”

 

Syndra’s unconscious form only leaves Janna’s arms when she places her gently in her bed at Ahri’s house.

Most of the team is gathered there, with the exceptions of Ahri, who showered and went to sleep early, and Lux, who is currently in the shower. The rest of the group has already showered, except for Janna and Soraka, neither of whom wanted to leave Syndra, and of course Syndra herself.

“How is she?”, Miss Fortune asks, brushing out her wet hair.

“She’s unwell, but she’ll be okay. She’ll probably be out for the next one to three days, and out of commission for five,” Soraka reports. “Do you think she would mind if I used her shower in her bathroom?”

“Who says she has to know?”, Jinx says.

The room clears, until it’s just Syndra, fast asleep, and Janna sitting next to her on the bed. For the next fifteen or so minutes, Janna just watches her. Her breathing is much more normal now, she notices; she takes her pulse again and this, too, is much healthier than her previous state. She’s still pale, but some of her color is back, and she doesn’t feel so cold.

Janna is starting to nod off when Soraka comes out of Syndra’s bathroom, her hair in a towel.

“Why don’t you take a shower? I’ll watch Syndra,” she offers.

“I’m going to check on Lux first. I think she fell asleep in the shower again.”

“She’s got Jinx to check on her. Just use the shower in Syndra’s bathroom.”

As if on cue, Janna hears Jinx banging on the door to the spare bathroom. “Flashlight! Wake up!”

She chuckles to herself, and decides she’ll take Soraka up on her offer.

 

 

Janna barely leaves Syndra’s room for the next two and a half days. She hardly takes her eyes off her, sleeps sitting straight up. Her heart jumps for joy when Syndra stirs in her sleep.

Soraka knows better than to try to say _go home, I can watch her_. And since Lux won’t leave without Janna, and the rest of her team won’t leave without Lux, Lux’s entire group ends up staying at Ahri’s house.

As Janna watches Syndra, she notices her condition steadily improve. Finally, two hours after she first stirred in her sleep, she lifts her head, sits up, and opens her eye.

“Oh, First Star, what the fuck. I have the worst headache of my life. . . First Star what the _fuck_. . .” She closes her eye and rubs the bridge of her nose. “What the _fuck_ – oh hey, Janna.”

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she laughs. She can’t help it. She’s just ecstatic that Syndra is okay.

“What _happened_?”, Syndra yawns.

“You’ve been asleep inside of a rift for the last two weeks. And then asleep here for the past –” Janna pauses to check her phone. “ – two days, eight hours, and thirty-seven minutes.”

Syndra shakes her violet head hard, like she’s trying to physically clear her thoughts. “What time is it?”

“4:08 in the morning.”

“I need a shower and an Advil,” Syndra declares. Her legs buckle underneath her the second they touch the floor.

Janna is crouching on the floor next to her in an instant. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just. . . not used to being back on solid ground, I guess,” Syndra shrugs.

“I’ll help you. Put your arm around my shoulder.”

Syndra hesitates.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. Not even Soraka,” she adds.

She raises her arm and puts it around Janna’s shoulder. Janna puts her arm around Syndra’s waist. Walking like this seems to work just fine.

“I’ll help you wash your hair. If that’s okay, that is,” Janna offers nervously.

She’s visibly surprised when Syndra doesn’t protest. “Okay.”

“I’ll be right outside the door if you need me. Just call for me.”

 

 

Janna hasn’t heard any kind of noise that would indicate that Syndra fell, but she’s taking so long that she’s getting worried about her. She’s thinking she may have gone Lux’s way and fallen asleep, until she hears Syndra calling for her.

“If you still wanted to help me with my hair, I’m ready.”

“Are you decent?”

“Who cares? You saw me fall out of my bed after sleeping for two days. Being seen naked is a cakewalk compared to that.”

Janna chuckles softly to herself. She’s relieved when she sees that Syndra has at least bothered to put on a towel.

“Hold on, let me get a chair or something. . .” Janna returns a few minutes later with a stool from the kitchen. She places it in front of the sink.

Syndra sits down. This close, she can see all the tangles and grease in her hair. She takes a hair brush and starts gently at the bottom, working her way to the top until Syndra’s hair is sufficiently tangle-free.

“Turn around and lean your head back.” Syndra does just that, and Janna turns the water on. She plugs the drain when the water is warm enough. With delicate hands, she runs her fingers through Syndra’s hair to make sure there are no tangles left. “Lift your head for a minute.”

Syndra seems to relax when she rubs the shampoo into her scalp. She’s practically purring under Janna’s hands when she puts in the conditioner, and her eye is closed by the time it’s washed out.

“Done,” Janna declares. “Are you still awake?”

“Yeah.”

“Want me to brush your hair again, too?”, she asks.

“Go right ahead.”

“Also, you can turn around now,” Janna adds.

“Looks way better. Thanks.”

Her words are followed by a yawn. Janna picks up the brush and smiles.

 

 

Syndra insists on letting her hair dry out naturally, and Janna has to practically carry her back to her bed.

Syndra is nodding off, but then sits back up suddenly. “Janna, when was the last –” a yawn cuts her off “– time you slept?”

“Umm. . . yesterday, maybe?” Janna’s been sitting in this same spot for so long, so focused on Syndra, she can’t really remember.

_Hey, wait._ She’s defensive, suddenly. “Did something happen to you in the void? You aren’t usually this nice.”

Syndra smiles – not the smile she has on while she’s killing monsters. This is a real, bright smile. “Not really. I’ve just had a lot of time to think.”

“About. . .?”

“I took a lot of things for granted when I jumped in. You, included. And you were the one who got me out, weren’t you?”

Janna feels heat rise on her face at _you, included_. “I was.”

She jumps when Syndra leans her head on her shoulder. “It’s easy to see how much someone means to you when you run the risk of never seeing them again. You’re the only person I really missed while I was in there, and I’m glad you’re still here.”

Her heart feels like it’s going to beat out of her chest. She feels clammy all of a sudden. _There’s no way this is really happening._ She pinches herself. Nothing happens.

“Anyways. . .” Syndra continues, raising her head, “why don’t you get some sleep?”

“I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on you.”

“Sleep with me.”

Janna’s face is burning now. Syndra realizes her mistake quickly. “Not like that! Just lie with me and we can both fall asleep at the same time,” she clarifies.

“Have you brushed your teeth?”

“Yes. Have you?”

She’s been daydreaming about sleeping next to Syndra for two months. “I’ll do that right now.”

When she comes back, Syndra’s head is on the pillow, but she isn’t quite asleep. She lifts her head up.

Janna yawns and climbs under the covers next to her. She’s nervous, for some reason. Syndra’s sheets are very soft. She’s not quite touching her, but she wants to be.

Syndra is giving her an odd look and if she were anyone else, she might be scared.

But she knows Syndra. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

The moment the words leave her mouth, she realizes it isn’t _really_ an odd look.

Soft, affectionate looks are just something she isn’t used to seeing on Syndra.

“What do you mean?”, she responds.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen you look at someone like you’re looking at me. It’s scaring me a little.”

Syndra’s face falls just a little; if she weren’t so close, Janna might not have seen it. “Do I scare you?”

“Not normally, but you’re acting strange tonight. I’m worried about you.”

Syndra laughs – genuinely, not a cackle, but a bubbly, snorting sound. “I’m only acting funny because I’m around you. Because I. . .” She reaches out her hand to touch Janna’s cheek. Janna forgets how to breathe. “. . . I know that I can trust you. And I do.”

Janna feels like she’s melting. She can’t breathe or speak. She doesn’t even know if her heart is still beating.

“You trust me,” she repeats – several times.

“Yes,” Syndra repeats it back to her each time.

Syndra squeaks out loud when Janna leans over to kiss her nose. Janna laughs; Syndra sits up and throws her pillow at head.

“That’s not fair! You were unwell earlier, I’m not allowed to hit you back!”, Janna complains.

Syndra laughs again, and Janna cherishes the sound. “Kissing my nose wasn’t fair. I’m ticklish there.”

“I’m going to test that. I’ve never heard of someone being ticklish on their nose.” She kisses her again. A single giggle slips out of Syndra’s mouth. “I wonder where else you’re ticklish. . .”

“Noooooo!” She’s still giggling as she complains. She hides under the sheets.

“Fine, I give up,” Janna concedes. Syndra pokes her head out; Janna plants another kiss on her face.

“Wanna hear a secret?”, Syndra asks.

“Okay.”

“I like you.”

“I like you too.” Janna lays back down.

Syndra kisses her between the eyes. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Syndra. Sleep well.”


End file.
